Music Talks with Children eBook

A player who devotes the mind and the hands only to
what a meaningless composer writes for them is not
worthy of any power. With our hands in music,
as with the tongue in speech, let us strive from the
beginning to be truthful. Let us try in both
ways to express the highest truth we are able to conceive.
Then in art we shall, at least, approach near unto
the true artist; and in life we shall approach near
unto the true life. Every mere empty display-piece
we study takes up the time and the opportunity wherein
we could learn a good composition, by a master of
the heart. And it is only with such music that
you will, during your life, get into the hearts of
those who are most worthy for you to know. Out
of just this thought Schumann has two rules now very
easy for us to understand:

“Never help to circulate bad compositions; on
the contrary, help to suppress them with earnestness.”

We now come to a really definite conclusion about
the compositions we should play and to an extent as
to how we should play them.

The heart, the mind, and the hands, or the voice,
if you sing, should unite in our music; and be consecrated
to the beautiful. Consecrate is just exactly
the word. Look for it in your dictionary.[37]
It comes from two other words, does it not? Con
meaning with and sacer meaning holiness.
Thus devote heart and head and hands with holiness
to the beautiful. This is very clear, I am sure.

It is also worth doing. “With holiness”
describes how to play and really what
to play. A composition which has been born of
a true man is in thought already consecrated.
He has heard it and felt it within himself. Daily
you must get closer and closer to these messages and
meanings. And are they not already more luminous
to you? And do you remember what we said luminous
means?

CHAPTER X.

THE LESSON.

“All people value most what has
cost them much labor.”
—­Aristotle.[38]

It is true that music is beautiful and that it gives
us happiness and comfort. But, nevertheless,
music is hard to learn for every one; harder
for some than for others, but hard for all. It
is well and best that it should be so. We appreciate
most highly that which we labor for earnestly.
Just imagine if every one could sing or play merely
by wishing it! Then music would be so common
and so much the talent of all that it would cease
to give us joy. Why? Because one gained it
by a wish. That is not enough. From this
can we learn to understand the great secret of it
all? I think we can. Let us see! The
secret is this: Music is a joy because it takes
us out of ourselves and we work hard to get it.
Music teaches us what a wonderful power there is within
us, if we will only strive to bring it out. Education
is good for us for this same reason. As you learn
more and more about words, you will see more in this
word Education.